Dessert

Alright, after a week of posting two Thanksgiving recipes each day, it’s time for my favorite, FAVORITE desserts of all time. PUMPKIN PIE…and COOKIES.
Seriously, guys, you’re in for a treat. This is the best ever vegan pumpkin pie. This was the one dessert I really missed after going vegan, but no more! I’ve tried several variations, from a cornstarch base, to a flour base, to a silken tofu base, but this agar-coconut cream one is by my favorite. It really allows the pumpkin and spices to shine without adding a random other flavor into the mix. The best part? You can leave your oven free for your other Thanksgiving creations [like the incredible cookie recipe that follows!] because this is a no-bake pumpkin pie! How’s that for innovation?

The second offering today is my favorite cookie recipe turned up a notch with orange zest, cranberries and a sweet orange glaze. This is perfect for Thanksgiving OR Christmas. Make a batch to gift your loved ones. Whip up some with your kids, or send a tinful to your kids’ teachers or your work buddies. They look oh-so-fancy, but really they’re quite simple.

Neat Egg is a chia-garbanzo mixture created by Neat Foods. It takes the place of an egg as the chia in it expands when it comes into contact with a liquid. I usually use a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water = 1 egg substitute) for the same purpose. In any case, I highly recommend it. I got mine at our recent Texas Veggie Fair and it is the perfect addition to create insanely delicious, chewy cookies. This will definitely be a new staple in my pantry!

The Neat Egg can be ordered here. Check your local health food store to see if they are a stockist. A quick search in my area showed that they are stocked by my local Target.

Also, if you’re not a fan of cranberries, try some chopped dark chocolate and sea salt with the orange:

In a medium sauce-pan, add the pumpkin puree, sugar, and spices. Stirring constantly, cook until dark and fragrant, about 7 minutes. You are essentially caramelizing the sugars in the pumpkin and marrying the pumpkin with the spices and sugar.

Transfer mixture to a high-speed blender. Add coconut cream and blend on high until fully incorporated.

Return to sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add the agar agar flakes and stir vigorously for a few minutes until you can no longer see the flakes, about 5 minutes.

pour mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate, uncovered, 1-2 hours or until set and completely cooled. Serve with a dollop of coconut whip cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Notes

You can get agar agar in strips, flakes, or powder from your local health food or asian food store. If using strips, be sure to grind it into a powder or flakes before adding to the mixture.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

While cookies are baking, whisk together orange juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl until uniformly blended. Add more juice or more sugar to thin or thicken the consistency to your liking. Drizzle or spread glaze over cooled cookies. If making dark chocolate orange cookies, sprinkle the salt on them instead. Enjoy!

**I divided the dough in half and added cranberries to one half and dark chocolate to the other. In this instance I divided the listed quantities of cranberries and dark chocolate in half, as I only needed enough for one half of the dough.

Aly and I have the same vices. It’s a problem. We can sit for hours playing video games. We both get grumpy without our morning coffee. We both have massive road rage when it comes to stupid – excuse me, challenged – drivers. We both can devour half a bag of chips and salsa in one sitting.

And we can do the same with an entire batch of cookies.

So, when Aly had his ankle surgery this past week, I knew I would have to reign in my willpower and not indulge him his every whim. Video games? Yes, alright, seeing as you can’t leave the couch. Coffee? I guess the doctor cleared it. Salsa? Who can argue with his mom’s homemade liquid gold?

But then he went too far. He looked at me sideways, a grin twitching at his lips and said in a near whisper, “….Cookies?”

I looked at him. He looked at me. I sighed. It was over. We are going to be the death of each other. In sickness and in health, til death do us part, right? Right.

I raided the fridge, the pantry and came up with this gem. My perfect cookie is a chocolate chip cookie that’s soft and chewy with a slight crisp on the bottom. It’s gotta have a slight buttery saltiness, and a deep, dark, chocolatey moment in each bite.

This. Is. The. Perfect. Cookie.

Now Aly has a thing for mint chocolate, so that’s what these are. You can change them to whatever your vice is: peanut butter chips, coconut flakes, dark chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate.

I highly advise against eating them all in one sitting like we did. You know, if you’ve got the willpower.

Of course, if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask you for a glass of milk…

Homemade almond milk. Sweet, creamy, and so damn good for you. Did you know just a quarter cup of almonds provides you with 50% of your DV of biotin, 40%DV of vitamin E, and 25%DV each of copper and manganese? Plus, making it at home means you control what goes into it – no artificial additives or preservatives, just good ole almonds and water.

Milk and cookies, cruelty-free. A match made in heaven.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

2014-08-04 09:21:54

Serves 30

A decadent traditional chocolate chip cookie with a chewy interior and crisp edge.

Soak almonds for half an hour in filtered water, drain, and add to your blender.

Cover almonds with 24 oz filtered water.

Blend on high until smooth.

Add any optional ingredients, plus additional water to thin the milk out to your preferred consistency.

Blend again on high until smooth.

To strain the milk, set your nutmilk bag in a large bowl and pour the milk through the bag like a sieve.

Gather the edges of the bag, holding it above the bowl.

Twist and squeeze the bag, massaging the bulk of the ground almonds to release as much milk as possible. This may take a few moments. You should be left with a small ball of almond pulp.*

Store milk in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to one week. The milk settles, so give it a good shake before using.

Notes

You do need a high-speed blender for this, but can use a regular sieve for the straining.

If using whole almonds, soak overnight until plump. You can skin them or not to your liking. I left the skins on for additional nutrition.

Add whatever you'd like to the milk (cinnamon would be nice) or keep it simple. I used all of the above mentioned optional ingredients, but I think plain is awesome too.

*Don't toss the almond pulp! You can dehydrate it and turn it into almond flour! To do this, smooth out the almond pulp on a baking sheet to about a 1/4-1/8 inch thick. Set your oven on its lowest setting, about 170-190 degrees. Let it sit in the oven for a few hours until it breaks easily and has a distinct crunch. This means all of the water has evaporated from it. Break the pulp into pieces and add to your clean high-speed blender. Pulse a few times until it forms a fine flour. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Sometimes it’s okay to be a little naughty. It’s okay to eat a piece of candy. Or two. Or twenty. Ahem.

I could do without the guilty pity-party that follows, though. I just sit there woefully holding my belly with a grimace with Aly looking at me sans-sympathy like, “Shouldna done that!”

Wouldn’t it be amazing if candy were guilt-free and healthy, without sacrificing flavor?!

If you’re a fan of Almond Joy, Mounds, Bounty, or Raffaelo by Ferrero, you’re going to L-O-V-E these Coconut Macaroons! They’re sweet, chewy, vanillay, coconutty, and just plain nutty!

Can you believe these little guys have no added sugar? They’re a low glycemic snack and are full of good fats, calcium, and iron. The coconut provides electrolytes and keeps you feeling full – a great snack for kids and adults!

Oooh I can’t wait to try variations! What about orange zest and dark chocolate? Strawberry macadamia? German chocolate with pecans? OOH! Coconut lime with cashews. Yesssssss.

Preheat oven to 190°F. Yes, you read that right! We're going to dehydrate the macaroons instead of truly baking them. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until throughly incorporated. (Separation is normal!)

Add wet ingredients to dry and use hands to mix well - yay for finger-licking!

Use a rounded measuring spoon - I prefer the Tablespoon size - to scoop up enough mixture to fill it. Use your fingers to pack it in, creating a dense macaroon. Turn the spoon upside down and tap it lightly to release the macaroon into your hand. Place flat side down on parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat with the rest of the mixture, continuing to create mounds and gently placing them on the baking sheet until the entire mixture is used up.

Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. Keep an eye on it in the last ten minutes to prevent toasting. You may need to take off or add on a few minutes according to your oven.

As tempting as it may seem, do not touch macaroons until thoroughly cooled! They will be very delicate whilst warm and need to set up.

Once macaroons are cooled, melt chocolate in the microwave or double boiler, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Dip flat bottoms into melted chocolate, shaking off the excess, and set on parchment sheet curved side down. Place in fridge to set up the chocolate. Serve chilled!

Notes

Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Substitutions are your friend! Don't like agave? Use honey. Don't like almonds? Pick another nut. Not a dark chocolate fan? Add mint extract to take the edge off or try a plant-based milk or white chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch.